The One Winged Angel
by Nararuki
Summary: As far as Sephiroth is concered, being a teenager sucks. That is until he meets the girls of his dreams. Can he get her to love him for who he is? And even so, could he keep her anyway?
1. Chapter One

****

Chapter One

(Age 14)

__

"Sephiroth! How can you do this? I thought I could trust you? I thought you loved me!" A young woman sat on the floor crying. She grabbed Sephiroth by the leg. "God, have mercy! I beg you! Please!" 

"Save your tears." He raised his sword high and laughed. "Good bye." 

Sephiroth sat up quickly and panted heavily as he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Why? Why do I keep having this same dream? Every night?" He looked out his window. It was still dark out. He knew Hojo would be mad if he found him awake. 

He got up and walked over to the window. "I'm so sick of this place. I wish I could just get away." There was a knock on his door. 

"Sephiroth! I heard you gasp. Are you alright sweetheart?" It was Andrea, his "mother." 

"God woman, go away! I'm fine. Leave me be." He couldn't stand her at all, probably because she wasn't really his mother. His real mother had died after giving birth to him. Hojo immediately saw to it that he had a new mother within the year of her death. 

A young woman with auburn hair walked into the room. "Are you sure you are ok? I mean if you want I could get you some water...or some-" She held her robe together in one hand and tried to touch his shoulder with the other. 

He shrugged it off. "I said I was fine. Just go back to bed before he gets mad at us both." 

Andrea turned and walked away. "Alright...just don't stay up too late." She left and shut the door. Sephiroth just stood there and sighed. 

_Tomorrow is my birthday _he thought as he stared up at the moon. _I'll be fourteen. Only two more years until I can start my training for SOLDIER. _He heaved a sigh. _I wish I could join now. _

There were more footsteps outside the halls and a few voices that he could barely hear. Maybe it was Hojo. He sighed once more and walked over to the bed. _I want out of this hell house. _

***

That next morning was cold and damp. It was raining outside and the thunder caused everything in the house to shake. Sephiroth pulled his hair back and threw on a pair of black pants. 

Andrea was already downstairs making breakfast. He could already smell the bacon. He wondered what she would do today for his birthday. Last year she invited a bunch of boys from around the neighborhood that he hated and hired a clown. It was the most humiliating thing he had ever experienced in his life. 

He ran down the stairs throwing a tight white shirt on as he went. He had to get out of this house before she stopped him. Sephiroth walked into the kitchen, grabbed a piece of toast and began to leave. 

"Where are you going?" Andrea turned from the stove and put her hands on her hips. 

"I'm leaving. Do you have a problem with that?" He walked over to her and looked down. 

He was very tall for his age and next to Andrea he was huge. She was only about five foot three inches and she was very skinny. She also had a distant look on her face and a blank smile that always bothered Sephiroth. 

He never really accepted her as anything and at most times tried his best to ignore her presence. She was very annoying and always tried to interfere with his life. 

"Yes I do! I wanted us to spend the day together. Hojo is finally home for once and he is bringing that student of his. We'll have a nice quiet birthday celebration for once."

"No. I told you that today I was going to go to Sector 6 with my friends." Sephiroth turned and left for the door again. 

"Your father won't be happy! He stayed home for you, ya know! He loves you! He wants to spend time with you."

"Bull shit. That man doesn't love me and he has no intent of spending time with me. Why do you think I'm stuck with you?" He was sick of hearing this. Every time she tried to have "family time," it ruined his plans. 

Andrea's eyes were starting to tear up and she frowned. "Can we please just get along today? For once?" Her eyes pleaded with him. 

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'll be upstairs." He grabbed another piece of toast and walked back to his room. 

***

Sephiroth hated his room. It was where he had spent most of his life. Many times when Hojo would get frustrated he would lock him in there for days and wouldn't let Andrea bring him food. He hated him so much and it was hard to believe that he wanted to "spend time with his son." 

He looked out the window again and to the sky. The storm was dying down a bit thankfully. _Thank god...maybe now it won't be quite so gloomy._ He walked over to his mirror and snatched the picture that was stuck in the frame. 

It was a picture of several scientists from ShinRa Inc. Hojo miserably stood in the back among a few others with Andrea smiling next to him. There were other people there too who Sephiroth barely knew, but in the very front was a beautiful young girl next to Professor Johnson. 

It was a student of Hojo's, Ariana. She was about nineteen with long, flowing, red hair and she was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen in his life. She had always been really sweet to him and when he was a few years younger, she always took some time to play games with him. 

He sighed. "She would never even look at me in that way. She's so much older...and...ugh." He clenched his fist together and threw the picture on his bed. "Shit." 

***

Later that afternoon, Hojo arrived for dinner with Ariana. Sephiroth was more then glad to join them, as long as he got to sit next to her. As usual, Hojo was ignoring him and discussing something about a new project. It all sounded boring to him but when Hojo would turn and ask him a question, he nodded in agreement as he stared at the wall. 

"Yes, things are definitely heating up Andrea. I think I am going to be working more than usual." Hojo said as he shoved some potatoes into his mouth. 

"Well in all honesty Professor, I think if we went with some of Gast's old research then the work might go a bit faster. I mean some of it is rather complex, yes, but it could save us years of research." Ariana said. 

Hojo banged his fist on the table. "Gast was a fool and his theories were nonsense! Complete nonsense." 

Sephiroth stood up. "He was probably a lot better than you! You just won't admit that that is why you hate him so much."

Andrea growled under her breath. "Everyone stop it! Sephiroth sit down. That was completely uncalled for. For once can't you show your father some respect?"

"No," he mumbled silently as he sat back down. 

There was a long silence while everyone finished their dinner. Andrea started to gather all the plates and bring them to the sink. Ariana cleared her throat. "Well um, I hate to leave so early, but I have some things that I need to attend to at home." She stood and walked over to Sephiroth. "Happy Birthday hun." She handed him a small wrapped box and kissed his forehead.

"Um...thanks Ari." He gave her a small smile as she winked with her gorgeous eyes. 

He had always loved her eyes so much. They were a pale and natural green, which now a day was rare. Most green eyes came from the makou injections that you received when you joined SOLDIER. He had such eyes since he had been given small injections of makou throughout his childhood. 

Ariana nodded to Andrea. "I'll see you in the lab on Tuesday then and Professor Hojo," she turned her gaze to him. "Please, atleast think about considering what I said?" 

Hojo waved a hand of dismissal and took a cup of coffee from Andrea. She sighed and left shaking her head all the way to the door. Sephiroth just sat there and stared at the box she had given him. He wondered what it could be. 

Andrea and Hojo had also gotten him something, which came as a big surprise to him. He first opened Andrea's present. It was two pieces of materia; Cure and Fire. He smiled a bit and then gave her a hug. He wanted his own materia for a long time because he was tired of using his friend's. 

Next, he began to open Hojo's, which was very strange. He couldn't figure out what in the hell it could be because it was extremely long and thin. Once he pulled the paper off he opened the box and pulled out a long sheathed sword. 

"It's about damn time that you learned how to use a weapon if you are going to join SOLDIER. That's a masamune, Sephiroth. Few can use it well, but I think you can manage." Hojo took a long sip of his coffee and watched as the young boy pulled the sword out of its sheath. 

"Wow." He examined the blade carefully and ran his finger along the edge. _I can't believe he actually did this. _In all his years that he had known Hojo, he had never gotten him anything like this before. He was extremely shocked. 

"Thanks...I guess, I mean," he swung it around a bit. "This is wonderful." 

Andrea smiled and then placed a hand on his shoulder. "Happy Birthday Sephiroth." She kissed his forehead and then sat down next to Hojo at the table. Sephiroth thanked them both again, grabbed Ariana's gift and ran up to his room. 

The minute he walked through the door he picked up his PHS and dialed Nian's number. He threw his stuff on his bed and paced impatiently as it rang. "Hello? Nian? Ya, its Sephiroth. You won't believe it! Ya! He got me a masamune. Um." He looked at his watch. "Ya I think you can come over. I want to hear all about the slums."

***

Nian was one of Sephiroth's best and closest friends out of the few he had. He was a couple years older then Sephiroth but that didn't seem to matter to either of them. You couldn't tell the difference. Both of them were about five foot eleven inches and they had similar facial features. The only difference was, was that Nian's eyes were blue and he had short black hair.

Nian swung the sword around and stabbed the air. "Wow, I can't believe Hojo got you this." He did a few more moves with the sword but then accidentally dropped it. 

"Hey! Careful!" Sephiroth picked it up and looked at the blade. "Ya, Hojo said this was kinda hard to handle, but I'm sure I'll get the correct training in SOLDIER. 

"So you still plan on going through with that?" Nian shook his head and looked at the picture that was still lying on the bed. He put it down and picked up Ariana's present. "What's this?"

"Oh." He snatched it. "It's um a gift from Ariana. I haven't opened it yet but I will later." He set it down on a shelf. "But anyway, so what was it like in Sector 6 slums? Anything interesting there?"

"Oh man, Sephiroth! I'm telling you! You missed out! We went to the Wall Market and found the Honey Bee Inn. Oh my god! Some of the hottest girls were coming out of the place! Rob stole someone's member card to get in and he got a Bee to strip and we got pictures!" Nian waved around a picture of a naked woman. 

Sephiroth snatched the picture and his jaw dropped. "Ugh! Why do I always miss shit like this?" He sighed and gave him back the picture. "So what else was there?"

"Well we went to the bar and the guy was a complete idiot. Didn't check our ID's or anything! Just kinda stared at us for a long time. Everyone there kinda did." He shrugged. 

"Ya well duh Nian. We come from the upper plates. We don't exactly look like we came from the slums." Sephiroth pulled out his materia and began to put it in the slots on the masamune. "Was it nasty down there?"

"Oh ya man. It was horrible. The ground was all muddy from the rain and it was really dark down there. Some places it was kind of hard to breathe too. There is so much smog and shit." 

"Ya, that's all Andrea told me when I kept asking her to go. I still can't believe she made me stay home. I swear I can't stand her sometimes." He sighed. "At least I got to see Ariana."

"You still in love with that chick?" Nian lied down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. 

"I dunno anymore. I mean, ugh. It's not like she'll ever feel the same way about me. I'm so young and she's so..." Sephiroth sighed and stared at the present on the shelf. "Nian, have you ever been in love with a girl?"

"Once...." He kept his eyes at the ceiling. 

There was a pause and then Nian coughed. Sephiroth looked over at him and then smiled. Nian smiled back and then they both laughed. 

***

That morning it was a lot warmer then it was yesterday. Sephiroth stretched and looked on the floor. Nian had left. Probably had business to take care of or something. He sat up, stretched and looked around. His present still sat on the shelf, unopened.

He got of bed and walked over to the shelf. He took the present and then slowly began to open it. _Wonder what it could be?_ He pulled off the lid and looked inside. It was a beautiful piece of crystallized makou that had been attached to a thin leather string. 

He pulled it out of the box and tied it around his neck. Then he began to get dressed. He was tired and kind of confused. Last night he and Nian had talked for hours, mostly about what he should do about Ariana. 

_"Seriously Seph, I think you should just go to the lab tomorrow and tell her how you feel. Just get it out of the way! And if she doesn't like you the same way, what's the worst thing that could happen?"_

"I guess he's right. I need to just tell her." He finished getting his clothes on and ran down the stairs. Andrea must have left much earlier that morning because she wasn't poking and prodding him like she usually does every morning. 

"Good, I can have a moment of freedom." He grabbed an apple and walked outside, heading towards the train station. 

***

ShinRa Inc was a huge building and it was easy to get lost in the hectic maze. There were thousands of security guards patrolling the place and you had to have about 50 key cards just to get around. Even so, he always managed to find the laboratory. Sephiroth walked into the gigantic building and smiled as the secretary greeted him. 

"Hey hun," she said as she noisily chomped her gum. "Here to see ya fatha?" 

"Actually I was looking for a Miss Ariana? Works on levels sixty-four through sixty-seven I think?" Sephiroth smiled a bit nervously. 

"Uh..." She turned to her computer and clicked wildly on the mouse. "Ya...she should be on her lunch break actually sweetie pie. So check the lunchroom.." She handed him a few card keys "And if she's not there, check those floors." 

Sephiroth nodded and then ran up the stairs to the elevator. There were a few executives in there with him but he managed to survive. Every now and again it stopped on different floors and different people would leave, but on floor thirty-four a young man with long black hair got into the elevator. 

"Still causing trouble Sephiroth?" The young Turk smiled.

"Nah, Tseng you know me. I wouldn't dream of doing anything too horrible." He smiled and laughed. 

Tseng was another one of Sephiroth's companions. This year he had turned eighteen and was allowed to start working for the Turks, ShinRa's most feared assassins. Sephiroth was glad to know that he wasn't the only one in their little group to run off to ShinRa. They rest of his friends hated the company entirely and felt they were both wasting their time associating with them. 

"So, how is life as a Turk treating ya?" Seph punched his arm and smiled. 

"It's not so bad. I haven't really gone on any missions yet. So, no blood shed. I'm dying of impatience." Tseng sighed. "Why are you here?"

He flushed slightly. "I'm kind of looking for Ariana. Have you seen her around lately?" 

Tseng thought for a second and then nodded. "She should be on the lunch floor, which is where I am headed. I'm starved! You can come get something to eat with me. My treat?" 

"Sure," Sephiroth smiled. "Why not? Besides, you still owe me a birthday gift." 

The elevator stopped moving and there was a loud "ding!" as the doors flew open. They both stepped out into the crowded room. Apparently everyone was on his or her lunch break at the moment. 

Tseng dragged him through and they snuck to the head of the line. Tseng informed him that "being a Turk had more than one advantage." After they had gotten their food they sat down and began to snack. 

They talked for a little while, exchanging different stories about what had happened in each other's lives. Then Sephiroth went on to explain the whole situation with Ariana. He knew Tseng would understand because he had had a crush on her not that long ago as well. 

"Well, I think that Nian is right! Just go and tell her!" He looked around the room with his eyes and then they stopped. He pointed toward her direction. "Look, Seph she is right over there. Why don't you take your chance now?

Sephiroth looked nervously across the room and saw her sitting at a table alone. He took a deep breath and nodded as he stood up. "Alright then...wish me luck."

He proceeded over and when he got close enough he tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped at first but when she turned around she greeted him with a warm smile and welcomed him to sit down. 

"Hey Sephiroth! Why are you here? Business with your father?"

__

Ugh, hell no. "Ya actually. I had to um...ya talk to him about something, but anyway that's not important. Um, well the other reason I came was to uh...." He paused for a moment and stared at her. _God she is beautiful. What do I say?_ "Um...I came to say that..." 

Just then Johnson walked over and sat down at the table. He was a nice guy and very smart for someone in their early twenties. He smiled at Sephiroth and then leaned over to kiss Ariana.

Sephiroth nearly lost it as he watched. His fist was clenched tightly under the table and he tried to remain calm. This man was invading on his territory. As they broke away he tried to maintain a fake smile but Ariana could tell something was wrong. 

"Sephiroth? Are you ok?" She looked worried. 

"Ya, I'm fine. Um ya, I just came here to tell you thanks...for the uh necklace. I really like it." He cleared his throat and sighed. "But, uh I guess I'll leave you two alone then so you can eat." 

He stood and walked away. He was hurt and extremely pissed off. _How could this happen? I should have seen it coming. Someone that beautiful was bound to have a boyfriend and an older one at that. Not some...kid. _

Tseng looked at him with sympathetic eyes and tried to comfort him as he sat down. "Hey buddy, I mean she's just one girl. There are tons of girls out there!" 

"No Tseng. I don't want another girl. The only girl I ever loved is sitting right over there...and she isn't even mine." He tried not to get teary eyed. _Don't let her get to you. Don't let her get to you. _"Fuck love."


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter 2

(Age 15 and 5 Months)

Sephiroth and Nian ran down the crowded streets of Sector 6. Sephiroth cursed loudly as he looked behind him and saw three very angry men chasing after him. He began to pick up speed, trying not to drop the wallet he had in his hand. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"

"Less cussing! More running!" Nian flew past him and grabbed things to throw back at the men. 

They were coming to the entrance of Sector 5. Sephiroth threw the wallet to Nian and began to climb up on garbage. He could see the church from here and if they could just make it, maybe they would be able to hide. 

"Nian!" He jumped down. "Quick! This way! Follow me!" He made a mad dash down the street, throwing and pushing people out of his way. 

The church was in site and the two boys began to pick up the speed. Before they knew it, they were bursting into the church and hundreds of people turned to stare. Sephiroth smiled nervously and slowly walked down the isle. Nian followed. 

They slid into an empty seat and pulled out two books, pretending that they were reading the prayer that everyone began to chant. Sephiroth looked back at the doorway and wasn't at all surprised when the largest of the men burst through the door. 

The boys sank back in their seats as they heard the man scream in furry. He began to walk down the isle and was about to come right up next to them when someone from the church asked him kindly to leave. The man growled under his breath and left as he was told. 

Sephiroth gave a sigh of relief and then looked at Nian with a triumphant smile. They both gave each other a high five and then began to stand with the rest of the crowd. The room filled with singing. 

Sephiroth elbowed Nian and said in a low whisper, "So how much did we get?"

Nian pulled out some money. "We got...30 gil and a candy wrapper." 

"What!? We almost got our asses kicked over 30 fucking gil?" 

"You forgot about the candy wrapper." Nian smiled slightly. 

"You and your stupid ideas. I can't believe I even did that." Sephiroth sighed and got up. The sermon was over and everyone was leaving. 

"Hey! Wait up!" Nian ran after him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey at least you lightened up a bit. It's about time you broke some laws. You only have but so many months before they turn you into a machine."

"I won't be a machine, Nian." They walked back through Sector 6 and headed toward Sector 7. 

"Well, let's at least get a shot in with the money we got. I know a bar in Sector 7 that's pretty damn cheap.

***

So many months had passed since his fifteenth birthday and not a day went by that he didn't dream of SOLDIER. He was ready to get out of this place. He was ready to get away. 

Sephiroth looked at his house and smiled. "I'll never have to look at you again." _There is nothing here for me anymore. _

He sighed and took a step inside. The whole place was a mess and it was always so dark. Ever since that break through in some new project neither Andrea nor Hojo came home. It wasn't like he cared. He was on his own and that's how he had always wanted it. 

He saw his PHS on the table and there was a little light that was blinking on it. He picked it up, pushed a button and put it to his ear. It was Andrea. "Sephiroth this is Andrea. I need you to run by Ariana's house whenever you can. She didn't show up to work today and she has some files that we need right now! I can't leave and no one else can either. Thank you!"

He rolled his eyes and put the PHS back down. "Screw that. She can get her own file." He walked over to the fridge and pulled out something to drink. 

He hadn't talked to Ariana since the incident in the lunchroom. He didn't want to speak to her, mainly because it hurt too much. Sephiroth looked down at the necklace she had given him so long ago. It was dirty and chipped because he had never bothered to take it off since she gave it to him. 

He grabbed the necklace and squeezed it between his fist. He had thought about ripping it off so many times but he didn't and sighed. _I miss her so much. _She had been everything to him. She had made him feel loved when he thought that one did and even though she didn't feel the same way, he loved her. 

"Ugh, fine...I'll go." He walked to the door, grabbed his coat and left. 

***

Sephiroth walked along the streets of Midgar and looked at it disgustedly. This place was a pile of junk to him. How could anyone live here? It was nothing but scraps of metal built around an expensive corporate building. 

Two children ran past screaming and laughing. Sephiroth smiled and chuckled when the little girl pounced onto the boy. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and the boy pushed her away. _Cute kids._

His attention finally turned away from the children and he realized he was standing right next to Ariana's house. He took a deep breath and walked over to the door. _Remember, just get the files and go. _He raised his fist and brought it to the door. 

Suddenly he heard someone screaming and then he heard a slap. His eyes shifted to the window and he walked over. "What the hell?"

A figure came into view; it was Ariana. She fell onto the couch and when she looked up someone slapped her across the face. Sephiroth's eyes widened as he saw Johnson grab her shoulders and shake her. 

"You stupid bitch!" He slapped her again. "Do you realize what you've done? What in the HELL was running through your mind!?" 

Ariana started to cry. "You were ruining the company! Don't you understand? The experiment is everything to me! It's my work! My life! I wasn't about to let you fuck it up, you stupid bastard." 

"You little whore!" He slapped her again and this time she fell off the couch. Johnson picked her up and smacked her again. 

"Stop it!" She tried to run away. "Let me go!"

Sephiroth's eyes grew cold and they seemed to glow with furry. No one was going to hurt his love. _No one. _

He walked over to the entrance and kicked the door down, breaking the locks completely. Johnson looked up in surprise but didn't have time to move because Sephiroth had already jumped on him. "You god damn asshole!"

He raised his fist high and punched him in the face the first chance he got. Johnson struggled and tried to defend himself but Sephiroth kept a firm grip and punched him over and over again. 

Ariana ran over to him and tried to pull him off. "Sephiroth stop it! You are going to kill him!" 

He shrugged her off and wrapped his hands around his neck. Even Ariana's pleading couldn't make his fingers loosen their grip. Johnson coughed and struggled to breathe, saying a word or two when he could get it out. 

Sephiroth shook the man a few times and then looked him straight in the eye. "If I ever find out that you've hurt my Ari again, I swear I will kill you the next time." He threw his head down and got off him. 

Ariana looked down at the floor as the tears streamed down her face. She couldn't bear to look at Johnson. "Get out of my house." She sniffled slightly and then pointed to the door. "Now! Get out!" 

Johnson just stood up and walked away, not bothering to look back at either of them. 

Sephiroth heaved a sigh and turned around to Ariana, but she had already fallen back onto the couch. She began to cry again and she buried her face into the pillow. He frowned and kneeled down next to her. "Oh Ari...everything's ok now. I'm right here."

She sat up with her lip trembling and then without warning threw herself onto Sephiroth. "Oh god! It was so horrible. I was so scared." She started to sob on his shoulder. "Oh god oh god!" 

"Shhh! It's ok now! I'm right here." He pulled away and looked at her. She was black and blue all over. "Tell me where he hit you."

She sniffled again and then wiped her eyes with her arm. "I don't even know....I mean he hit me everywhere." She choked on her words. "My hip...my hip hurts the most. He threw me into the table." 

Sephiroth looked around and found the table turned over on its side. Parts of it appeared to have cracked and everything that had been on it was spilled all over the floor. The whole place was a mess and he could tell they were struggling for awhile. _How could this have happened? God, what would have happened if I hadn't shown up? _

She burst into hysterics again. "God I was so scared! Sephiroth I was so scared!" 

Sephiroth pulled out an elixir and put it to her lips. "Ariana you need to drink some of this. It's going to help get rid of the pain and hopefully some of the bruises."

She nodded quietly and drank from the bottle. He looked at her arms and the bruises were getting smaller. Some of the redness on her cheek was beginning to vanish as well. "Good, you feel any better?" 

She nodded. 

"Alright then. Now why don't you tell me what happened from the beginning ok?" He placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her forehead. 

Ariana let the tears slide down her face as she began. "Well, I guess it all started a few days ago. I was working in the lab late that night and well when I looked over I saw Johnson doing something, so I went over to look. When I got closer he started to hide something from me so I made him tell me what he was doing." Sniffle. "So he told me everything. He said he was stealing samples from the experiment to give to this terrorist group that had hired him."

She started to choke up again and then cried for a little. Sephiroth sat there patiently and waited for her to continue. "He told me not to tell anyone, but I couldn't do that! I knew it would ruin everything we had done, so yesterday I told Hojo and Johnson was fired. So, this morning I wake up and Johnson is standing over my bed saying that I wasn't going to go anywhere. Before I knew it he was throwing me against the wall and then I remember hitting the table pretty hard. I tried to beg him to stop but he would just slap me harder. I didn't know what to do. I was scared that he wouldn't leave."

She sobbed and fell into his arms again, resting her forehead on his shoulder. Sephiroth didn't know really what to say. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and ran his fingers through her hair. _It's ok...you're safe with me. _He shut his eyes. _Everything's ok now. _

***

The rest of that afternoon, Sephiroth took care of Ariana. He put her in bed and made her rest, which was what she was doing at the moment. He wasn't going to leave her side for anything. He even had his friend Rob bring the files to ShinRa for him. 

Sephiroth stood in the kitchen and began to prepare some tea. He felt sort of weird being there and taking care of her like this. He had never really taken care of anyone before, not even himself. Well, atleast not that well anyway. _But somehow...this still feels so right. _

He put everything on a tray and then went into Ariana's room. She was still asleep so he just placed it on the stand. He then turned and looked at her in her bed. _She looks so beautiful like that and so pure. _He sighed and slowly sat down on the bed. 

"God, you are so wonderful." He brushed some hair out of her face. "I wish I could just tell you...how much you mean to me. You are so wonderful, so beautiful."

He leaned down and kissed her softly on her full pale lips. It felt so wonderful to finally kiss her that he didn't want to stop. "I love you."

Sephiroth trembled a bit and then sat up quickly as he noticed her stir. She stretched a bit and opened her eyes slightly with a warm smile. "I had the weirdest dream..."

***

Sephiroth sat there in the dark looking over at the television. Nothing was on this late at night but he didn't really feel like sleeping. Ariana was fast asleep in her room and as much as he wished he could be in there with her, he stayed on the couch. 

For the past few days he stayed with Ariana. He didn't want to leave her side and for some odd reason, she didn't want him to leave either. He didn't really blame her. She was just so scared of Johnson and probably liked the idea of a little protection. 

The news reporter on TV went on and on about an explosion at Gongaga. It was nothing really new. The makou reactor in that area was always going off or exploding but it still annoyed him that President ShinRa never bothered to do anything about it. 

There was a low moan coming from Ariana's room and he could almost hear her talking. He raised a brow. "Ariana? Are you alright in there?"

No answer. 

He stood up and began to walk over to her room. "Ariana?" When he finally reached her room, she wasn't in bed. "Ariana!?" 

"Get away from me!" Sephiroth looked over in the corner and saw her holding a pocketknife in her hand. "Don't hurt me!" 

"Ariana, it's ok" He took a step forward and she pressed her body against the wall. "It's just me, Sephiroth." 

She looked at him for awhile and then started to cry. The knife fell and she ran straight into him. He was confused but he wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on hers. She was so small and delicate. 

"I thought he came back! I thought he was going to hurt me again! Oh god!" Her sobs became muffled as she buried her face in his chest. 

"Shh. It's ok Ariana. It was just a dream...I'm right here for you." He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head. "No one is going to hurt you while I'm here." 

Sephiroth held her close and let her cry. He could feel the pain of wanting her; the lust. Her body was pressed against his and he could feel her hot breath on his chest as she breathed. He had never wanted anyone so badly. 

Ariana took a deep breath and looked up at Sephiroth. Her face was soaked with tears and her eyes shined in the moonlight. _God, she's so beautiful. _Sephiroth smiled at her and then she smiled back. 

"Maybe, you should go back to sleep." He tried not to shake but he couldn't help it. He was going nuts. 

"No...not right now. I'm not ready." She rested her head back on his chest. 

Sephiroth gulped. "Um...maybe you'd be more comfortable over on the couch then." 

He picked her up and carried over to the couch, setting her down gently. She looked up to him again and then giggled. "You're kinda strong for your age, aren't ya?" 

Sephiroth shrugged and looked away. "I never really thought so." He wished she hadn't said something about his age. That was the last thing he wanted to hear about. "So um, when are you going to go back to work?"

She cleared her throat. "I dunno...probably tomorrow I guess." She shrugged and looked over at the television screen. "Sephiroth?"

"Yes?" He turned his gaze back to her. 

"Can I, um ask you something?" 

"Anything." 

"Why did you...stop talking to me?" She looked down at the floor and twiddled her thumbs. "I mean it's not like a huge deal or anything, it's just that, well. I dunno, ever since the day after your birthday last year...I never really saw you again."

Sephiroth felt himself tense up. _What am I supposed to tell her? _"Well, ya know...classes had started again and I just got so busy and all." He could feel the sweat forming on his forehead. 

Ariana sighed. "Well..I mean...that never seemed to stop you before."

"Well I'm here now arrant I?" He looked into her eyes and he could tell she wasn't convinced. She knew he wasn't telling her something. He sighed. 

"What are you keeping from me Sephiroth?" Her eyes pleaded with him. 

"I...I can't tell you." He stood up and tried to walk away but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back down on the couch. He was sitting right next to her now. 

"Why?"

"Because you'll just think it's foolish..." He looked to the floor. 

"Try me" Ariana grabbed his chin and pulled it up, making their eyes meet. 

Sephiroth trembled and looked into her eyes longingly. If he didn't do something now, he was definitely going to go insane. "I.... I..." _Just kiss her. _"The truth is that..." _KISS HER!_

He couldn't wait any longer, so without a second thought, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. They felt just as wonderful as the night before, maybe even better. Ariana's eyes were wide open and she didn't kiss him back. 

He pulled away and looked at Ariana, who had a look of surprise on her face. _Oh just wonderful. Now she must think I am crazy or something. _He sighed and stood up. "Right then, I um.... I think I should leave."

Ariana was silent for a moment but then she stood up. "No! Wait...Sephiroth...I want to tell you something." 

"Look, I know what you are going to say. I realize that...well you are, you know, an adult and I'm still well a teenager but..." He sighed and started to walk away. "Good night Ariana." 

"No! Sephiroth...that's not exactly what I wanted to say..." She walked over to him and then looked up at him. "The thing is...well..." She got on her tiptoes and placed her hands on his face. "I feel the same way..."

She kissed him deeply on the lips and Sephiroth just seemed to melt. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back just as passionately as he had before. Nothing in the world mattered anymore, nothing in the world even existed. He just wanted this moment to last forever. 

Ari pulled away and then pushed strands of Sephiroth's hair behind his ears. Sephiroth smiled and kissed her forehead. Then he leaned down and whispered something in her ear. 

"I love you...Ariana." 

"I love you too" She kissed him again. "Sephiroth" 

***

__

"Sephiroth! How can you do this? I though I could trust you? I thought you loved me!" A young woman sat on the floor crying. She grabbed Sephiroth by the leg. "God, have mercy! I beg you! Please!" 

"NO!" Sephiroth sat up and reached his hand out, as if to stop something but then he realized there was nothing there. It had been the dream again. He placed his hand on his forehead and rubbed it and then looked next to him.

Ariana was still asleep, wrapped in the covers. At first he wasn't sure why he was there and then he remember last night. A smile curled across his face. _Oh...right. I told her last night. _

He stood up and grabbed the pile of the clothes on the floor. He looked out the window and saw the moon shining full in the sky. It was still late at night, but he had to talk to someone. He had to do something. 

He put all his clothes on and walked out the door into the darkness. Midgar was such a different place at night. Crack addicts sat on every corner and there was even an occasional whore or two but they showed up mostly on the lower plate. 

Sephiroth pulled out his PHS and started to dial a number. He hoped that he would be able to reach him. "Hello, may I speak to Tseng please. Yes, I'll hold."

***

Sephiroth leaned against a lamppost in Sector 3 and looked around. This had been the place he had grown up, he thought. _Soon I'll be able to leave this all behind. _

He then felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around quickly. It was Tseng, dressed completely in his Turk uniform. Seph smiled slightly and greeted his friend with a hug. They hadn't talked in ages. 

"Tseng! I'm so glad to see you again." They both began to walk through the slums. 

"Yes, it's nice to see a familiar face every once in awhile. Lately, I've been working so much that the only person I've had contact with is my boss Raymond. The man seriously has something up his ass." Tseng started to laugh but noticed that Seph wasn't. "What's wrong?"

"Well, nothing's really...._ wrong_...it's just that well, you remember the Ariana thing right?" 

"Ya of course I do."

"Well, let's just say she and I got together."

"Oh Seph that's great, but what do you need me for?

"The reason I am with her...is because I saved her from Johnson." He stopped walking and sat down on one of the benches. "I found him at her house, beating her."

"I knew there was something about him I didn't like."

"I want him killed."

There was a long pause and neither one of the men looked at each other. Sephiroth began to pull out some gil and then handed it to Tseng. "I want you to kill him."

"Sephiroth," Tseng wasn't sure what to say. "It doesn't work like this...I mean, you don't even know what you are asking. 

But Sephiroth knew what he wanted. He had been thinking about it ever since he had his fingers around Johnson's throat. He wanted to kill him. He wanted to see him dead. "Yes, I do. Tseng, I don't care how you do it. If you make it look like an accident or a murder...just please do this for me."

"But he's a ShinRa employee! I would have to get clearance from Raymond and he won't approve this."

"You don't have to do any of that. He was fired."

Tseng sighed and looked at the money in his hand. He wanted to tell Sephiroth that he couldn't, that it wasn't right. "I'll do it." 

Sephiroth smiled and then patted Tseng on the back. "I knew I could count on you. Thanks Tseng. I owe you one." He stood up and walked away. 

***

Sephiroth woke up the next morning feeling more relaxed then he had in years. Ariana wasn't in bed but he could smell the food in the next room and figured she was making breakfast. 

He put on a pair of pants and walked into the kitchen. Sure enough she had made him a full breakfast, something he hadn't had in a long time. "Oh wow, Ari this looks wonderful." He kissed her forehead and sat down at the table. 

Ariana smiled and set some coffee down in front of him. "It was the least I could do." She sat down next to him and turned on the TV with the remote. "Now, I am going to work today, so if you'd like you can stay here." 

Sephiroth nodded and shoved some eggs into his mouth. "I may stay for a little while, but I promised some friends of mine that we would get together today. " He took a sip of his coffee. 

Ariana smiled and nodded. "Alright, just don't get into any trouble you understand?" She snickered but then changed her glance towards the television as the news reporter began to talk about something. "What the..."

She turned it up and listened. "ShinRa Inc. released shocking news this morning about the death of one of their previous scientists. Professor Drake Johnson was found in an alleyway in the Sector 2 slums last night. Police believe that he was mugged since he had been stripped of all valuables."

Ariana dropped her fork as she stared at the television in horror. Sephiroth tried to contain a smile as he continued to eat. 

"Though this information has not been confirmed, it has been said that the victim was strangled and then shot in the head. Further information will be given later this evening."

Ari picked up the remote and shut off of television. "Oh my god..." She covered her mouth and tears started to form in her eyes. 

"He had it coming to him."

She didn't say anything. 

"Ari?" Sephiroth got up and walked over to her. "Hey, are you ok?" 

She shook her head and put her face in her hands. Sephiroth bite his lips as he heard her sob quietly. He was glad that Johnson was gone, but he didn't expect her to react like this. He thought she'd be happy. 

"Hey...I mean, Ariana don't cry over that jerk. He isn't worth the tears." He tried to hug her but she shrugged him off. 

"You don't understand." She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and left the table. "Ugh, just...leave me alone for a second."

Sephiroth sat down in her chair confused and upset. _I finally get rid of the problem, and she hates me for it! _He sighed and shook his head. _Well she would hate me...if she knew what I had done. _

Ariana walked back in the room, her faced soaked in tears. She looked as though she had calmed down a bit, but he knew that she was still upset. He didn't know what to say. 

"Ariana.... um...hey sweetheart. I'm really sorry-"

"No! Don't be...Sephiroth it wasn't your fault. Things just happen ya know."

Sephiroth felt a sharp pain in his chest. "Um...ya I know. But I am still sorry. Everything will be all right though. I mean...it's not like that guy was worth it! He hurt you and no tear is worth the abuse he put you through."

She smiled weakly and then kissed him on the forehead. "I know you want to cheer me up Sephiroth, but you also have to remember that I loved him for two years of my life." The tears started to form again. "Even what he did can't change that...and now that he's gone..."

"Hey, let's just not talk about it." He was starting to feel really guilty now and he definitely didn't want it to show. "You don't need to go to work sobbing."

"Oh god!" She looked at her watch. "Right, work. Um, I have to get going or I'll be late."

She ran around the kitchen grabbing some things and throwing in a small bag. Then she pulled out something from behind the fridge and threw it on the table. "Here, this is a key to the house. Make sure you lock everything up before you leave alright?" She gave him a kiss and ran out the door. 

"Ya, sure. No problem." He looked down at the key in his hand and sighed. "What have I done?"

***

Sephiroth walked over to the Sector 6 playground and saw Nian sitting on the top of the slide, smoking a cigarette. A little girl was running around screaming up at him, telling him to come and play with her. It was his little sister. 

"Nian! Stop smoking that thing and come play tag with me!" She jumped up and down impatiently and then pouted when Nian just blew smoke in her direction. 

Sephiroth laughed. "You could be a little nicer to your kid sister."

"Sephiroth!" The blonde-haired girl ran toward him and then hugged his leg. 

He couldn't help but laugh again. She was one of the sweetest creatures, other then Ariana that he had ever met. "Hey Eve. What are you up to? Nian bring you down here to play?"

She pouted again. "He was supposed to, but he only did it cause mom made him. All he wants to do is smoke all the time." 

Nian blew another puff of smoke into the air. "And drink. You left out drinking." He grinned and jumped off the slide. 

Sephiroth walked over and nodded towards Eve. He wanted her to leave so that he could talk to Nian, and his friend understood. He pulled out some money and handed it to his sister, then told her to go buy something in Sector 5. 

After she was gone, Sephiroth walked over to the swings and sat down. He sighed and pulled out a cigarette of his own. "Nian, I think I made a huge mistake." He pulled out a lighter and lit it. 

"Why? What happened?" Nian threw his on the ground and put it out with his foot. 

"You watched the news this morning?" Sephiroth sighed. "They had the story on the guy that got mugged last night."

"Ya I watched that. It was that guy Johnson. Why?"

There was silence. Nian raised a brow, then leaned against the swing set and looked down at his companion. "You aren't saying that..."

"Yes..."

"You mean you killed him!"

Sephiroth jumped up and put a hand over his mouth. "Could you scream any fucking louder?" He looked around for awhile and then took his hand away. "And no I didn't kill him...directly."

"What are you saying?"

"I hired someone to do the job for me." 

Nian shook is head and started to pace. "God..." He took the cigarette out of Seph's hand. "I'm gunna need another one."

"Look, it's not as bad as it looks. I mean Johnson could have killed Ariana. Maybe he wouldn't have gone that far, but I know that he sure as hell beat the shit out of her."

"But why kill him?!"

"I don't know." He sighed. "I thought it was the right thing to do I mean...when I had him on the floor, I could have killed that son of a bitch. I had too. That's all that ran through my head when my mind wasn't on her. How much I wanted to see him dead. Plus, I thought it would make her happy."

"And I am guessing that it didn't." Nian walked over and put a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder.

"No, not really. I'm just glad I didn't say anything to her." He struggled to fight the tears that rested in his eyes. "I never wanted to hurt her like this."

Nian pulled Sephiroth to him and gave him a hug. "Hey, you didn't know this was going to happen. Just chill out."

Sephiroth choked. "How can I show my face to her ever again?"


End file.
